HOW DID WE GET HERE?
by Bain
Summary: RanmaTenchi Crossover. Ranma and Ryoko, two different people find thier lives drawn together. Rated for language and adult sexual content. This will not be a lemon.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: The copyrights to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is owned by AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC respectively. The copyrights to Ranma 1/2 are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Pioneer LDC respectively. This work of fiction is not created for commercial purposes and is done for fan entertainment only without profit.  
  
A/N: I've changed this from Chapter 1 to Prologue. I have an idea to continue this fic, and I am. Thanks everyone for the support.  
  
HOW DID WE GET HERE?   
  
By Bain   
  
bain0001@hotmail.com   
  
bain-net.us/anime/anime.htm  
  
Prologue  
  
"How did you get here?"  
  
Ranma picked himself off the ground where he landed. He noticed the owner of the voice was a lithe young woman a few feet away with wild cyan hair and golden eyes. She was holding some type of glowing red blade in her hand and was in a defensive stance and displayed an impassive look on her face. The floor he landed on was very hard and there were no visible walls or ceiling. To the horizons in all directions, there was end in sight except blackness. There was also no visible source of light, yet Ranma could see. He turned his attention back to the woman.  
  
Ranma decided to turn on the ole Saotome charm. "Uh. . . umm. . . Look lady why don't ya put the glow stick away before you hurt someone with that. I've had a really bad day. A bad life actually." He said the latter part under his breath.  
  
"Did Washu send you? Are you supposed to test me or something? This just another one of her experiments?" The woman seemed to be getting angry and moved into an attack stance.  
  
Ranma noticed the mystery woman's stance and started waving his hands in the air in front of him in defense trying to calm the woman down. "Hey, hey! No need to get all excited! I'm not gonna hurt you or nothin' I swear. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the ole letch trying to make me wear. . . uh. . . I mean I was thrown in here because I wouldn't turn. . . umm. . . well, I'm not here 'cause I wanna be here, okay?"  
  
"Like you could hurt me" she scoffed. "How did you get here then?" She said undeterred, still brandishing her crimson energy like blade in front of her.  
  
Ranma started getting nervous with the woman pointing the blade in his direction. She looked like she was willing to use the blade on him with no remorse. "Well, it's like this. . . uhh. . . you wouldn't have heard about the panty thief in Nermia would you?"  
  
"Nermia?" the woman asked.  
  
"Ya, in Tokyo." The woman shook her head. "Well, ya see, he's a real big pervert, name is Happosai." Ranma looked at the woman's face. Seeing that there was no sign of recognition, he continued. "Anyways, I destroyed his favorite bra and panty set. He was real mad about that ya know? He had this scroll that he read off of, and it threw me into this place, he called it some kinda pocket dimension as he said it was my punishment for ruining his precious treasures."  
  
The woman blinked twice. "Okay that's a bit odd. Are you in the habit of destroying women's lingerie?" the woman asked.  
  
"No! I'm not like that!" Ranma responded in a huff.  
  
"Gee, calm down. I was just asking. Don't get your panties in a bunch" Ryoko said with a smirk.  
  
"I destroyed them so he couldn't make me wear them!!" Ranma yelled back.  
  
"Why would he want you to wear a bra and panties? You're a guy!" She seemed shocked at the notion.  
  
"Well, umm. . . I. . ." Ranma was blushing. He didn't know how to explain this to the woman.  
  
"Never mind, I don't think I want to know." She let her energy weapon dissipate. "It looks like we're stuck here for a while. So what's your name anyways?"  
  
"Umm, I'm Saotome Ranma."  
  
"I'm Hakubi Ryoko."  
  
"How'd ya get stuck in here?"  
  
"Washu had a little lab accident. She wanted my help with some experiment. Something about my body's stress tolerance was higher than anyone else's made her choose me to help her. She was working on some new type of dimensional portal. It kinda blew up and when I woke up, I was here."  
  
Ranma was not sure how to take the answer he was given. 'What the heck does she mean about stress tolerance?' he thought to himself. "How long have you been here?" He asked Ryoko  
  
"Only a couple of hours so far. Washu will get us out I'm sure. She keeps bragging that she's the 'greatest scientific genius in the universe' and from what I've seen she's probably right." She looked a bit sad.  
  
Ranma was a bit surprised at the title of this Washu person. 'Did she say universe?' Ranma thought to himself. Silence descended on the pair, neither of them sure of what to say next.  
  
"Umm how did you make that glowing sword thingie?" Ranma asked to break the silence.  
  
"This?" Ryoko created her energy blade again and swooshed it around. "I just concentrate my energy to form the image of it in my mind and, presto, the sword appears."  
  
"That's pretty impressive. A blade made of Ki, right? I wonder if I can do that?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean by Ki, if it's energy, than yes, it's just an energy blade. It's not that hard really, I don't see why not if you can generate the energy in the first place." Silence once again surface as the two did not know what to say.  
  
'She moves around pretty well' Ranma thought. 'And to be able to manipulate Ki like that, she must be a pretty good martial artist.'  
  
Ryoko sat on the ground and brought her legs up to rest her chin on her knees. Ranma started looking around again. "I've already looked around, there are no exits."  
  
"Got any idea how to get out of here?"  
  
"Other than waiting for Washu to open a portal and get us out of here? Nope not really."  
  
Ranma gave Ryoko a peculiar look. "You're pretty confident in her abilities, ain'tcha?"  
  
"Not really. Half the stuff she makes blows up. She's always trying to experiment on everyone, using anyone she finds interesting as test subjects. But she dose know a lot and knows how to make some incredible stuff," Ryoko started to stare off into the distance. "Like me" she whispered. "I wish I had some sake."  
  
Ranma noticed Ryoko fall into some kind of melancholy. He wasn't sure what to do. "I hate sitting around doing nothing. Hey how long you've been a martial artist Ryoko?"  
  
"Martial Artist? I'm not."  
  
"Really? You move like one. The way ya held that sword and your fighting stance."  
  
Ryoko didn't respond. Seeing as she wasn't going respond, Ranma got bored. He stood up and started doing some katas.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Practicing my Martial Arts. Gotta keep in shape and I'm bored so I wanted to workout some. Nothing else to do."  
  
Ryoko just watched as Ranma went through his forms. She was impressed with his grace and fluid motion. 'Wow, he's pretty good' she thought. 'He's got a hot body and look at him move. He looks better than Tenchi's. What am I thinking?!?' Ryoko looked away blushing.  
  
Ranma noticed that Ryoko was blushing as he worked his kata but ignored it and continued.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma was getting tired of just doing katas and working out. He hadn't spoken to Ryoko at all since he started practicing, which had been a few hours ago. For her part, Ryoko just watched Ranma as he worked out the entire time, enjoying the sight before her.  
  
"That was pretty impressive, Saotome." Ryoko said with a smile.  
  
"The Art is my life. I've studied the Art all my life and it's what I'm good at. I'm the best."  
  
"Pretty confident, ain'tcha?" she said with a smirk.  
  
"I guess. With the life I lead, I have to be confident. It's part of what keeps me going" he said with a grim look.  
  
Ryoko noticed the twinge of sadness that was also present in his voice. "You can always sit next to me and share some of the confidence." Ryoko gave him a smoky look, smiling mischievously.  
  
"Umm. . . I think I'll sit over here" he said nervously. Ranma sat a bit away from her.  
  
Ryoko giggled a bit. "You're so easy to tease." Ranma started to pout. Seeing the pout on Ranma's face, Ryoko laughed out loud. "See what I mean? Hehe, okay I'll stop teasing you for now. So tell me about you Ranma, tell me about your life."  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Ranma said instantly getting defensive.  
  
"Well you said earlier, 'I've had a really bad day. A bad life actually.' I want to hear how bad it could be."  
  
"You heard that?" Ranma said a bit surprised. He thought she didn't hear him.  
  
"I have sensitive hearing. So you gonna tell me?"  
  
"But why do you want to know?"  
  
"You don't have to say if you don't want to. I'm just trying to make conversation. Besides, I'm a bit curious. We are gonna be stuck here for a while, and it would be a good way to pass the time."  
  
"Umm, okay." So Ranma told Ryoko his story, about leaving his mother at the age of 6, going on the 10 year training trip, the various training he under went like neko-ken, the fateful day at Jusenkyo, meeting Akane, the multiple fiancés and all the rivals, the kidnappings, challenges, all the craziness in his life, up to Jusendo and the failed wedding attempt.  
  
At first Ranma was a bit weary about telling anything to this stranger. But as he continued to tell his tale, he found that he wanted to tell someone all this and words flowed out of him like water spilling out of a broken dam. All his life he never had anyone to talk to, no one to confide in. Everyone wanted something from him, or thought the worst in him so he always had to hold something back. Even with his foot in mouth disease of blurting things out loud, he still couldn't tell anyone how he truly felt or what he thought. Ranma didn't know how much he wanted someone to talk to until now.  
  
For her part, Ryoko listened very patiently. This dim area put her in a depressive mood. It reminded her of being back in the cave she was imprisoned so long ago. It was a relief that Ranma showed up, so she wouldn't be alone in here. Watching him practice and hearing his life story helped quell the feelings and emotions of being trapped and alone. She was surprised how much Ranma had gone through in his short life. The thing she noticed, he didn't seem to brag about his accomplishments, he just stated them like reading a grocery list. It sounded like it was more like it was a burden.  
  
'He's a lot like Tenchi' Ryoko thought. 'Ranma has a lot more confidence though.'  
  
"After the failed wedding, me and Akane got along better for a while. She didn't whack me around as much with her mallet. Lately it's been gettin' worse again though. The other girls are comin' around again, with them, the other guys too like Mouse and Kuno, and I Akane always blames me. Then there's Nabiki always sellin' pictures and tryin' ta get in between me and Akane. But what can I do? I wish I knew how Akane felt. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if I just knew."  
  
"Most people would have gone crazy dealing with your life. I'm surprised you haven't blown up and killed someone already. I know I would have already."  
  
"You're forgetting Saffron" Ranma said in a sad voice.  
  
"But he didn't die right? I mean, he was reborn from what you said?"  
  
"I didn't know he would come back. I new he stood between me and Akane. I crossed that line. I intentionally killed him." Ryoko could see the shame in his face.  
  
"It's not your fault. You said yourself there wasn't anything else you could do. And if you didn't do what you did to that Saffron character, more people would have died. I think you're being too hard on yourself. It's not like you killed billions of people. . ." Ryoko went silent. She didn't want to think about her own past, so she decided to change the subject. "So are you in love with this Akane?"  
  
Ranma's automatic self denial system went into effect. "What?!? That uncute tomboy?"  
  
"Then care to explain why you keep rescuing her? Or let her abuse you? You don't have to lie to me Ranma, it's not like I'm after you or anything."  
  
Ranma calmed down. He thought about it for a while. "Yes, at least I thought I did. After Saffron, I thought she was dead. It was like my entire world stopped. It hurt so much just to think about living my life without Akane. I don't know anymore though. She just doesn't trust me, she never listens to my side of the story and always tries to poison me with her cooking. I've tried so hard to be nice to her. But it never works." Ranma started getting depressed as he thought about it. He didn't want to face facts that Akane might not like him the way he felt for her. "It's so hard, she's always jumping to the wrong conclusions. Like if she knew I was here with you, she'd think I was trying to get you into bed or something."  
  
Ryoko got a sly grin on her face. "Would that be so bad?" she said with a wink and leaned forward.  
  
Ranma started to panic. "What? Yes. . . I mean no. . . I mean I'm not like that. . . not that no one would want to with you, I mean you're gorgeous!" At that point Ranma slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent saying anything worse, blushing furiously.  
  
Ryoko was laughing out loud rolling on the floor, holding her sides. "Oh man the look on your face was priceless. Relax Ranma, I was just teasing." Ranma was mortified. Then he saw the humor of the situation, and chuckled. "Okay you got me."  
  
"I sure did. You looked like you were getting a bit too serious. You should loosen up a bit, have some fun. And I'm glad to know you think I'm attractive" she said with a wink. "You're a good, nice, caring, honorable person Saotome Ranma. A little stuffy perhaps, a bit of a prude, but still okay." She winked at him.  
  
"You don't think I'm a freak or a pervert or nuthin'?" he said softly, looking at the floor.  
  
"No Ranma, I don't think you're a freak. Or a pervert for that matter. Honestly, it's not like you chose to become cursed."  
  
"Thanks Ryoko. That's what I always say, but no one ever listens to me. All I ever hear is 'Ranma, it's all your fault' or 'Ranma, PREPARE TO DIE!!!' I get so sick of it sometimes."  
  
"I can understand that Ranma. Like I said, I'm impressed you haven't blown up at any of your fiancés or rivals."  
  
"Thanks Ryoko. For listenin' to my problems and junk. No one ever listened to my side of the story before, I really appreciate it." 'I wish Akane was more understanding like Ryoko here' Ranma thought to himself. "I can't believe I told you all that stuff. I haven't told anyone all that before."  
  
"Well, I'm glad you told me. Can I give you some advice Ranma?" Ryoko asked, bringing Ranma out of his contemplation.  
  
"Sure, I don't mind."  
  
"Tell Akane how you feel, just like how you told me. Trust me." Ryoko got a very soft look in her eyes and looked away. "Not telling her how you feel is making it worse. I know, believe me, I know all to well" she said softly.  
  
Ranma thought about it. "What if. . . what if she doesn't feel the same way? I mean. . . I don't know. . ."  
  
"It's better to know isn't it? One way or another?"  
  
"I guess. I just don't know if I could deal with it if. . ."  
  
"I know that too. . ." Ryoko said softly.  
  
The two sat in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I guess this place doesn't make you hungry or sleepy" Ranma said.  
  
"Oh? I guess you're right. It's been a while hasn't it?"  
  
"At least a day I think. It took at least half a day just to tell you about my life. I should starving by now but I'm not hungry. And I'm not tired. Must be somthin' about this place."  
  
"What's the first thing you gonna do after you get out of here Ranma?  
  
"Me? Well I don't know. Probably pig out, heh. What about you?"  
  
"I'm gonna go find Tenchi, maybe tie him to his bed." Ryoko got a seductive look in her eye with that thought.  
  
"Tenchi your boyfriend?"  
  
"Kinda. . . well, not really. I love him, and I think he loves me, but Ayeka keeps getting in the way. And he keeps pushing me away when I try to get close." A pained expression bloomed on Ryoko's face.  
  
"Who's Ayeka?"  
  
"Oh, she's someone that's after Tenchi too. Always interrupts me when I'm trying to get close to Tenchi. Like that time I tried to seduce him in the bath, Ayeka busted in and stopped me."  
  
"You tried to seduce him in the bath?!?" Ranma said in surprise.  
  
"Oh yes, I sure did try, it was the only place I could get him alone and naked at the same time. I almost had him too but Ayeka showed up. She's so infuriating! Damn that princess, always thinking she's better than me." She got a sorrowful look in her eyes.  
  
Ranma noticed the sadness. "Hey what's wrong?"  
  
"Sometimes, I think she's right. I'm a horrible person, a monster."  
  
Ranma was shocked. "What are you talking about? You're not a monster. Trust me, I've fought some, and they ain't ever looked as good as you." Ranma just realized what he said. "I mean you don't look or act like a monster!" He was blushing furiously. 'Stop being such a baka' Ranma thought to himself. "Besides, a monster wouldn't have listened to my problems like you did."  
  
"You don't know Ranma" Ryoko said softly. Ranma noted the silent tears rolling down her face.  
  
Hating to see anyone in tears, especially a woman, Ranma got up and went over to Ryoko, sat next to her. He put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. "Aww, don't cry Ryoko. Why don't you tell me? It can't be that bad." Ranma ran his fingers through Ryoko's soft mane.  
  
"You're the first person I've met in a long time that hasn't treated me like some kind of monster."  
  
"You're not a monster, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko buried her head into Ranma's shoulder. "You don't know Ranma" Ryoko said with a sob. "That's probably why Tenchi keeps pushing me away. He probably thinks I'm a monster too."  
  
"Why don't you tell me why you think you're a monster then?"  
  
"I. . . I. . ." Ryoko continued to sob into Ranma's shoulder. Eventually she stopped crying.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Ryoko. I just don't like seein' people cry, especially my friends."  
  
"Am I a friend to you Ranma?" Ryoko asked softly. 'Why am I crying in front of Ranma? He's nice and all, but I've never let anyone see me cry before.'  
  
"Of course!" he responded loudly. Ranma stared into Ryoko's golden eyes fiercely. "You think I'd just open up to anyone? Besides, you didn't judge me just because of my curse. No one has ever done that before."  
  
"I just don't want you to know my past I guess. I don't want you to think of me as a monster too."  
  
"I won't think you're a monster."  
  
"We'll see." And then Ryoko told Ranma of her life. How she was controlled and tortured by Kagato, the millions she was forced to slaughtered, attacking Jurai, crashing on earth, the fight with Yosho, how Tenchi freed her, about Tenchi, Tenchi's father, Yosho, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi and Washu, how they now all lived together at the Masaki family Shinto shrine in Ohkayama. She explained how Tenchi rescued her from Kagato when he reappeared and kidnapped her, and how Tenchi killed him.  
  
She told him about Dr. Clay and her merger with Zero, and how a lot of her memories came back along with a lot of physical senses that Kagato had turned off so Ryoko couldn't feel any pleasure. Now she was overwhelmed with senses she hadn't used in 5 thousand years and memories she shut away of her servitude to Kagato, the suffering she caused others. The memories haunted her sleeping dreams. And of course she told no one of her difficulties, her worries, her fears until now.  
  
Ranma was shocked and appalled at what Ryoko had suffered through. He held her as she told him her story. Ranma couldn't believe someone could survive through such ordeals that Ryoko had suffered through. To be tortured the way she was. His heart went out to Ryoko when she told him how she let Yosho beat her, hoping he would kill her and end her misery. But he didn't kill her and she was imprisoned in a cave for 700 years. He could understand how she could fall in love with Tenchi who she watch grow up and freed her from the cave, then freed her again by killing Kagato. Ranma saw Ryoko in a new light. He felt a lot of respect for her, to suffer as she had and still be such a caring person that she showed him.  
  
"Nowadays, I try to stay away from Tenchi. It's hard enough to control my emotions as it is with all these new memories and sensations. I can't take it when he pushes me away and I swore to myself I won't let Tenchi see me cry. And he's growing closer to Ayeka, I know it. And I can't do anything about it."  
  
Ranma continued to hold Ryoko as she started to cry once again. Eventually she stopped. Ryoko was enjoying the sensation of having someone hold her. She felt safe for once, something she hadn't felt in a long time. It felt good that he wasn't trying to run away or push her away like Tenchi always did. 'If only Tenchi would act like Ranma.'  
  
For Ranma he didn't know what to think. He just felt an overwhelming urge to comfort Ryoko, he found it pleasant to hold her in his arms. They sat together in silence for a while. Then Ranma broke the silence.  
  
"You're not a monster" he said softly.  
  
"What Ranma?" Ryoko asked as she was broken out of her revere.  
  
"I said you're not a monster. What happened to you was not your fault. Those people that died, you had no control over. It was that Kagato guy. What a jerk. I'm sorry you had to suffer through all that. Makes my problems seem petty."  
  
"Thank you Ranma, you don't know how much that means to me."  
  
"No problem Ryoko. Can I suggest something about Tenchi?"  
  
"I guess" she replied a bit apprehensive.  
  
"Instead of glomping on him so much, try talking to Tenchi. Trust me, I can't stand it when girls glomp me all the time."  
  
Ryoko pondered what Ranma said. "I'll think about it."  
  
They continued to sit in silence holding each other, enjoying their embrace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You think we'll ever get out of here?" Ranma asked.  
  
Ranma and Ryoko were lying down together, in each other's arms. They both told each other that it was just to stay warm and more comfortable that way. They figured if they were going to be stuck in this pocket dimension, at least they could do was try to be comfortable.  
  
Since there was nothing really to do, they had talked for hours about their likes and dislikes, and about their adventures. They laughed together as they told stories about how they lived and the antics of their companions. Sometimes they would just hold each other in silence, lost in their own thoughts, then after a while they would start chatting again.  
  
"Sure, it just takes time. Washu can fix almost anything even it isn't broken. It just might blow up the first time you try it though after it's been fixed."  
  
They both laughed at that. "I think we've been here a few days now" Ranma said. "So how fast does Washu usually take to fix stuff?"  
  
"Already getting tired of my company?" Ryoko teased.  
  
Ranma chuckled. He was getting better at handling Ryoko's teasing. "No no, nothin' like that. I'm just wonderin' how everyone is doin' out in the real world without us."  
  
"I know what you mean. I'm trying not to think about it. I mean what if we are stuck in here forever?"  
  
"Well it could be worse" Ranma said in a neutral tone.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I could have been here all by myself without you Ryoko" he said softly staring into her eyes blushing. He was surprised at what he just said and tried to cover it up. "I mean I would have been bored out of my mind here all alone. Ya that's it." Ranma said laughing nervously.  
  
"I'm glad you're here with me and that I'm not alone in here too Ranma." Ryoko said a bit embarrassed. "Before you showed up, I was all alone in here and I was panicking a little. It was reminding me of being trapped back in the cave. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't show up when you did."  
  
"Well that's something you won't have to worry about since I'm here" he said cheerfully.  
  
"I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we were stuck here forever" Ryoko said in a low voice. Ranma stared into Ryoko's eyes. 'Oh wouldn't it be nice to kiss Ranma' she thought to herself. 'Where the heck did that thought come from?' She found she could not look away.  
  
"No it wouldn't be so bad" Ranma said softly. 'Wow, she's so beautiful' Ranma thought to himself. 'I wonder what it would feel like to kiss her. Arrg, why am I thinking about kissing Ryoko? She's my friend!'  
  
Slowly their two faces moved toward one another. As their lips met, a brilliant flash of light enveloped them. They suddenly let go of each other and found themselves on the floor of Washu's lab.  
  
"Well well little Ryoko, I see you brought home a stray in that pocket dimension" Washu said leering suggestively. Both Ranma and Ryoko were blushing profusely and got up off the floor letting each other go. Washu just cackled at their embarrassment. /Well Ryoko/ Washu mentally projected. /Anything you want to tell mommy dearest about your little vacation?/  
  
/No Washu, there's nothing to tell. Ranma got stuck in the same place I did by accident/ Ryoko replied back mentally.  
  
/That didn't look like nothing to me, little Ryoko, the way you two were holding each other/  
  
"I don't have to explain anything to you Washu," she said out loud. Ryoko turned to Ranma. "Let me take you home, it's the least I could do."  
  
"Uh, okay, thanks." Ranma turned to Washu. "Thanks, uh, little Washu, for rescuing us." Ranma remember what Ryoko told him about how Washu liked to be addressed. He bowed to her. "How long were we trapped in there?"  
  
"4 days" replied Washu. She was looking Ranma over. 'My my, what an incredible specimen he is.' She started to day dream about all the different types of experiments and tests she could run on Ranma.  
  
Ryoko recognized the look on Washu's face. "Don't even think about it Washu, he's a friend of mine."  
  
Washu feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you are talking about Ryoko."  
  
"Let's go Ranma, take you home right now." And with that she grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled him out of the lab. Then they teleported outside the house. Ryoko grabbed him around his waist and flew off.  
  
Ranma never experienced anything like flying before. The closest was falling, or roof hopping. It didn't compare to actually flying. He was amazed. They flew in silence just enjoying the experience of flying together. Ranma pointed out Nermia as they drew closer to Tokyo, and directed her to drop him off in front of the Tendo dojo. The landed softly.  
  
"Is it always like that?" Ranma asked in wonderment.  
  
"What flying?" Ranma nodded. "Ya, pretty amazing eh? There's nothing like flying."  
  
Ranma and Ryoko stood together in awkward silence. "Thank you for the ride" Ranma finally said.  
  
"Any time Ranma, maybe I'll stop by and give you a ride around town" she said with a wink.  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
"Yes Ranma?"  
  
"I just wanted to say, I'm glad I got stuck in that place with you." Ranma's voice was filled with sincerity.  
  
"Me to Ranma, I'm glad we met, and I'm glad we are friends."  
  
"Well I guess this is it". Ranma gave Ryoko a hug. "Take care of yourself Ryoko, and please drop on by to visit anytime."  
  
"Thanks Ranma, maybe I'll take you up on that offer sometime." With that Ryoko flew back to the Masaki home.  
  
Ranma did not enter the Tendo home until Ryoko was completely out of site.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Note  
  
Well, this is my first fan fiction. Please let me know what you think, and if I get enough responses, I'll try to continue the story.  
  
I got a lot of responses from for this fic, and I am pretty surprised. Thank you to all that read this fic and reviewed it. I don't mind criticisms at all. I didn't think it was that good, but I guess I did okay.  
  
I know it's kinda rushed, but Ryoko has always been a bit forward and Ranma could never say no to a woman, I thought it was fairly in character for both of them. I didn't want them to spar or get into a match against each other, mainly because I didn't want this fic to focus on their abilities, and I'm sure both characters would like to get away from the constant conflict in their lives. I wanted to show more characterization and social interaction. I can't say this is an original idea. I got it from Lord Archive's, The Insanity Continues, where Ranma and Akane was trapped.  
  
Now to be honest, I have no idea where to take this. It was meant to be a one shot, but I've gotten sooooooooo many requests to continue this, I will try. I am just wracking my brains for what to do. It's kind of hard without any kind of proof reader or having someone to bounce ideas off of. I have to be honest, I've never seen Tenchi Muyo before, I just like Ryoko from all the fanfics I've read. I am a sporadic writer at best, I get inspirations and I just start writing and writing. That's how this fic started. I hope I can continue to write stuff most of you will enjoy.  
  
Bain 


	2. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The copyrights to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is owned by AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC respectively. The copyrights to Ranma 1/2 are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Pioneer LDC respectively. This work of fiction is not created for commercial purposes and is done for fan entertainment only without profit.  
  
How Did We Get Here?  
  
By Bain  
  
Bain0001@hotmail.com  
  
bain-net.us Chapter 1  
  
Ranma wondered who would be knocking on his door as he got out of the shower. It had been a long day at the dojo. Although he enjoyed teaching martial arts to eager students, they were a bit trying when they kept overestimating their own abilities. Still, it was very rewarding work he wouldn't give up.  
  
Still wrapped in a towel, he headed toward the front door of his small apartment. He was puzzled who could be, hoping that it wasn't another barrage of amazons trying to get him to marry them.  
  
With a little apprehension, he opened the door. There stood a young woman with wild cyan hair with a sheepish smile on her face. She was wearing a light pink blouse, black tights, with a pair of black high heel boots. She held a small silver suitcase.  
  
"Ohaiyo," said the woman.  
  
"Ryoko-chan?" Ranma said surprised.  
  
She giggled. "Hai, it's me."  
  
"It's been..."  
  
"Five years," Ryoko said finishing Ranma's sentence for him and they hugged.  
  
They both just stood there in each other's arms. Ranma noted that Ryoko hadn't changed one bit while she was gone. Her body was as curvy and supple as ever. It felt wonderful holding her after so long.  
  
"May I come in?" she asked.  
  
Ranma awoke from his daze and finally let her go. "Uhh, ya come on in," he said a bit embarrassed. 'Gee, I was hugging her in only a towel in the doorway for Kami knows how long, how embarrassing,' Ranma thought to himself.  
  
Ryoko entered the studio apartment and placed the suitcase next to the door. "Nice place," she said, as she looked around. The apartment was sparsely decorated. In one corner was an actual bed instead of a futon. Next to it was a small desk with some papers. The other corner held the kitchenette with a small bar with a couple of stools. In another corner there was a small entertainment center and a beat up couch in front of it. Between the bed and couch, there was a sliding glass door leading out to a small balcony. All the walls were bare. "Could use some decorations."  
  
"Please, sit down, make yourself at home. I'm gonna go get dressed." Ranma entered his walk-in closet. "I just got home from work and just got out of the shower," he said while getting dressed.   
  
"Aww, and I thought the towel was because you were happy to see me. You're just so kawii in a towel. Don't get dressed on my account."  
  
Ranma stepped out wearing a black polo shirt and jeans. He noticed that Ryoko was sitting on his couch looking over at him with a smirk. "Ha, ha, very funny. I'm not so easily teased anymore."  
  
"Uh huh, we'll see," she said with a smirk.  
  
"Would you like something to eat? I was about to make dinner."  
  
"Sure, if it isn't any trouble. I always liked your cooking." Ryoko floated over to the bar and sat on one of the stools. She watched as Ranma worked in the kitchenette preparing dinner.  
  
"So how have you been?" Ranma said, not looking up from his work.  
  
"Okay..." Ryoko said eventually. "Ano... how have you been doing Ranma? I expected you being married by now, still in Nermia, not living alone here in Osaka in a small apartment."  
  
"Hai, me too," Ranma said under his breath. "I've been gettin' by. I work at the Takara Dojo as an instructor full time."  
  
"Sugoi! I thought you'd be stuck at the Tendo Dojo 'till ya died."  
  
"Same here. But the fates seemed to have a different idea." Ranma commented.   
  
"Mind if I ask what happened?"  
  
"I don't mind." Ranma responded as he cooked dinner. "Remember when you left, Akane and I were finally planning our wedding."  
  
"Ya, I remember."  
  
"Well, the day before the wedding, Akane was kidnapped again. This time it was some Demon Prince that wanted a moral wife so he could come to earth and conquer... blah blah blah. Anyways, me, Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo, and Ukyo went and rescued her. It was the hardest fight I ever had, but we won and Akane was safe. As soon as we got back home, Akane broke off the engagement."  
  
"Why did she do that?" Ryoko asked surprised.  
  
Ranma paused for a minute. Emotions that he thought he put to rest were slowly creeping back up. "I thought we were doing so well. We were talking, ya know? Like you told me I should. I thought everything was fine." Ranma took a deep breath. "Kuso, I didn't think this would be this hard," he said under his breath. "Dinner is ready."  
  
Ryoko was silent as Ranma made plates of food for the both of them, then sat next to her and slowly began to eat.  
  
"Mmmm. This is as good. Just like how I remembered your cooking was," Ryoko commented. "I missed it."  
  
"Thanks. Hopefully, I'll get to cook for you more often from now on."  
  
"Me too."  
  
Ranma noted Ryoko's unusually quiet behavior but said nothing of it. They finished their meal with minimal conversation. Ranma took the dishes to the kitchen sink and washed the dishes. Afterward, he joined Ryoko on the couch.  
  
Silence permeated the apartment as they sat together. Ranma finally spoke while gazing at the TV, which happened to be off at the moment. "I guess you want the rest of the story," Ranma stated.  
  
"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Ryoko said softly. "I didn't want to press."  
  
"No, I don't mind. To be honest, I wish you were here, probably could have stopped me from being stupid." He paused for a bit collecting his thoughts, then continued. "Akane told me she loved me, but couldn't live the rest of her life with me. She wanted a normal life, and I couldn't give that to her. I guess the demon prince was the last straw. She said she couldn't take the craziness. I guess I can't blame her."  
  
"I kinda went nuts I think after that. I was lashing out at everyone. Ukyo... kuso." Ranma's voice faltered. He got up and went to the kitchen, and splashed himself with some cold water. A female Ranma went back to the couch and sat next to Ryoko.   
  
"I didn't know what to do after that. I mean I loved Akane with all my heart. And she said she loved me too, but not enough to be with me. It tore me up. I wanted to blame someone but I couldn't, it was my fault, my crazy life." Ranma felt trails of tears running down her face.  
  
"Ukyo tried to take Akane's place. And to my shame, I used her, very badly. I know it's no excuse, but I was hurting so much, and Ukyo was there for me." Ranma started to sob.  
  
Ryoko wrapped her arms around the crying red head and pulled her close. The part time girl let the former space pirate hold her close and wept into her bosom. "What did you do, Ranma?" she asked once Ranma's sobs quieted down.  
  
"I-I just wanted to be loved, feel like that someone could love me, ya know? So I seduced her. I knew I didn't love her like that but I didn't care. Kami-sama, I was so selfish, just thinking of myself. She thought I chose her, and I made her believe that was true when I knew it was a lie. But after a while, she figured it out. Kami, I hurt her so bad."  
  
"I didn't want to face reality. I blamed everyone else for my troubles. It was Ryoga's fault, or Mousse's fault or Kuno or Cologne or whoever was convenient. I lost Akane, and I didn't want to face the fact that my life drove her away."  
  
"I put a bunch of people in the hospital as well. I don't know how I didn't get arrested by the cops. I stopped holding back in fights, and I stopped caring about anything for a while, fighting recklessly, I was pretty messed up. I just wanted others to feel as bad as I did. I left the Dojo right after Akane broke the engagement, I just couldn't live there anymore. Ukyo took me in for a while, till she figured out I wasn't in love with her, and one of my fights destroyed her restaurant. After that, I traveled a bit, fighting anything I could till I ended up at the Masaki shrine."  
  
Ranma looked up into Ryoko's eyes. "Masaki Katsuhito me a lot, helped me find my equilibrium that I had lost. He had to beat sense into me, but it worked. I hated him at first. Masaki-sensei forced me to stop blaming everyone else for my problems, and to take responsibility for my actions. He made me face my pain and fears. That was the hardest thing I ever had to do, harder than Saffron or the Demon Prince. But I did it."  
  
"He also helped me deal with my emotions and not to repress them so much. It was slowly killing me." Ranma giggled a little. "Did you ever think I'd let anyone ever hold me like this and cry my eyes out?"  
  
Ryoko smiled at the short red head. "No but I'm glad you can now."  
  
"I'm still not totally comfortable with showing emotions and all that. I gotta change to a girl to let myself do it most of the time. But I'm not the emotional train wreck I use to be. Anyways after that he helped me get back into school. I owe Masaki-sensei a lot. I got my teaching degree and certifications, and go a job here in Osaka."  
  
"Sugoi! That's pretty amazing," Ryoko said with enthusiasm. "What about Shampoo? Is she still after you?"  
  
"Nah. Masaki-sensei helped me with that. He found a way for me to become an honorable ally to the tribe so the kiss of death and marriage wouldn't apply anymore. I still don't' know how he did it, but I won't complain. Instead now though, I get some amazons showing up every couple of months trying to 'woo' me into marriage."  
  
Ryoko laughed. "That's funny."  
  
"You laugh, I gotta deal with sex crazed amazons tryin' to get into my pants all the time." Ranma pouted.  
  
"But you're just so cute Ranma-chan." Ryoko gushed.  
  
Ranma scowled.  
  
Ryoko busted up laughing.  
  
Ranma decided to change the subject. "So where is your floppy eared side kick that likes to torment me so much?"  
  
"Oh Ryo-oki is out about getting carrots, I think." There was a glint of mischief in Ryoko's eyes. "You know, Ryo-oki has a crush on you."  
  
"What? You gotta be kiddin' me..."  
  
"I'm not. She thinks you're kawii. She especially likes your female form. Ryo-oki loves snuggling up to your breasts cause they're so soft and cushy." Ryoko giggled as she watched Ranma's face get redder and redder. "Me personally, I like your ass in both forms, just want to sink my teeth in and gnaw on them for a while."  
  
"Ryoko no hentai!" Ranma's face was as red as her hair.  
  
Ryoko fell on the floor laughing. "Gotcha!"  
  
"Hrmph. That wasn't funny." Ranma said indignantly.  
  
"Hai, it was," Ryoko said between giggles. Ranma always had a weakness for Ryoko's giggles. They were infectious. Somehow, no matter what mood she was in, if Ryoko giggled long enough, Ranma would join in. Just like now.  
  
"Heh, okay it was a bit funny," Ranma said, unable to stave off the mirth exuded by Ryoko.  
  
"Hey let's go out for some ice cream," suggested Ryoko after she got her laughter under control.  
  
Ranma perked up. "Okay!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma stayed in her girl form as they sat at local ice cream parlor enjoying their dessert creations, chatting away amiably. Ranma did most of the talking, describing her study under Masaki-sensei, her adjustment to university life and how different it was from what he was use to.  
  
Ranma got through the university in 3 years to get her degree. It was a difficult path, but she figured it was worth the hard work and extra classes she took. Collage life was so different than anything Ranma was exposed to. Being exposed to such a large and diverse group of people was a huge learning experience for Ranma. Up to that point, she had a fairly sheltered life. Ranma and Ryoko laughed together at some of the stories Ranma told of his university adventures.  
  
This felt good to Ranma. Other than her current students, she didn't have much social interaction with anyone. She hadn't laughed this much or just enjoyed an evening out like this in a long time. However, she did notice that Ryoko wouldn't talk much about herself, and shied away from any questions regarding anything pertaining to the time after she left earth with Tenchi and Ayeka. Finally they finished their ice cream and decided to walk back to Ranma's apartment.  
  
"So Ryoko-chan, how as Jurai?" Ranma asked as they walked down the street. She was curious about what happened to Ryoko in the past 5 years. Ranma felt Ryoko stiffen next to him.  
  
"I-it was okay. Ano, did Yosho show you any of those Jurai sword techniques while you stayed with him?"  
  
The change of subject was not lost on Ranma. "Yep, I got pretty good, although Masaki-sensei is still much better than me with swords. I got more out of his ki manipulation techniques though than sword fighting."  
  
And they continued to talk about various martial arts forms and ki manipulation techniques as they continued to Ranma's home.  
  
They entered the apartment together. "Well Ryoko-chan, where are you staying now, since you're back on earth? Are you gonna go back to the Masaki shrine?" Ranma walked into the kitchen and changed back to a guy using the warm tap water.  
  
"Not sure right now. Do you have any sake?" Ryoko asked, as she sat on a stool at the kitchen bar.  
  
"Sure do, one moment." Ranma went to the kitchenette and got a bottle of sake out of the cupboard. He gave a cup and bottle to Ryoko. "Here you go, enjoy."  
  
"Thank you Ranma." Ryoko poured herself a cup and drank it down. "Ahh, that hits the spot. I haven't had a drink in a while. Come one Ranma join me." Ryoko poured another cup and handed it to Ranma.  
  
"I usually don't drink but what the heck? It's not every day that a good friend comes back from a long trip." Ranma downed his cup of sake and handed it back to Ryoko. She poured another glass and drank some more. "So Ryoko-chan, I noticed ya don't wanna talk about what happened on Jurai or with Tenchi, and I'll respect that."  
  
Ryoko flinched. She looked down not meeting Ranma's gaze.  
  
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. But, if you want to talk, I'm here to listen. Just wanted to let you know."  
  
"Thanks Ranma," Ryoko whispered. Ranma walked over to Ryoko and wrapped his arms around her. Ranma was a bit surprised how comfortable he felt when he was around the cyan haired girl.  
  
"Hey, why don't you stay with me here? I know the place isn't that big but it's a comfortable place. You can take the bed and I can sleep on the couch, at least until you figure out what you want to do."  
  
"I-I don't want to impose..."  
  
"Nonsense. You're my closest friend. I'd love to have ya stay with me. I won't take no for an answer."  
  
Ryoko leaned into Ranma's chest, as he continued to hold her. "Thank you."  
  
"You're very welcome Ryoko-chan. Let's get ready for bed. It's been a long but nice day."  
  
Ranma disengaged himself from Ryoko and got some extra sheets and blankets for himself, as Ryoko picked up her small suitcase by the front door and went into the bathroom. Ranma stripped to his normal tank top and boxers to go to sleep on the couch. He found himself genuinely happy with the prospect of Ryoko staying with him, at least for a little while.  
  
Ryoko came out of the bathroom wearing silk pajamas of a deep blue color. She padded over to the couch where Ranma was laying down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you again, Ranma."  
  
"Any time Ryoko-chan," Ranma responded with sincerity. "To be honest, I'm glad you came back. It is nice to have someone to talk to again. I haven't told anyone, even Masaki-sensei, all of what happened. I guess I really needed to let it out, and you helped me again."  
  
They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, unable to move or say anything more. Ranma felt lost in Ryoko's eyes, they held so much emotion flickering back and forth.  
  
Finally Ryoko leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Ranma's lips. It felt electric to Ranma, her soft lips pressed gently against his triggered a response in his body he was not use to. "Good night, Ranma."  
  
"Good night Ryoko-chan."  
  
Ryoko left his side. He could hear her slipping under the covers of his bed. Ranma tried to go to sleep, but that last kiss was on his mind. 'Why did she just kiss me? Why did I let her? Was it a just a friendly kiss? How do I feel about it? I liked it.'  
  
It was about two hours before Ranma's thoughts slowed down enough to finally fall asleep. However, just as he was nodding off, he was awoken by the sounds of whimpering. Ranma recognized the sound and it was coming from Ryoko. Ranma got up off the couch and walked over to Ryoko to see what was wrong. He could tell by the moonlight that she was still asleep, but tears were seeping out of her eyes, while hugging the pillow to her as if it were a lifeline.  
  
'She must be having a nightmare,' Ranma thought to himself. He gently shook Ryoko awake. "Ryoko-chan, wake up. You're having a nightmare."  
  
Ryoko awoke slowly, sobbing softly a little before awaking fully. "Kuso. Gomen-nasai, I woke you, I didn't mean to." Ryoko sat up in bed.  
  
"It's okay, I don't mind." Ranma sat down next to her, gently rubbing her back. "I'm more worried about you. Want to talk about it?"  
  
"No." Ryoko shuddered. She leaned into Ranma's chest and let him hold her.  
  
"Okay." They sat there together in silence. Despite being tired, Ranma enjoyed having Ryoko in his arms as she snuggled into his chest.  
  
"I think I'm ready to go back to sleep now," Ryoko stated finally in a soft voice.  
  
"Okay, Ryoko-chan." Ranma tried to get up but Ryoko slipped her arms around his waist, not letting him up.  
  
"D-do you think you could hold me 'till I fall asleep? Onegai?" Ryoko whispered.  
  
"Of course I can." They laid gently down onto his bed. Ranma drew the covers over them.  
  
"Gomen. I'll get over this, I promise," Ryoko said softly.  
  
"No need to apologize, Ryoko-chan. I don't mind. Just get some sleep."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
Ryoko slept peacefully through the rest of the night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Okay after all the requests (sugoi!). I finally made another entry in this story. I hope you all like it. Please let me know what you all think, I like both compliments and criticisms. If you have any suggestions, don't be shy.  
  
I know some of you will say that both characters are OOC. I want to express that both characters have gone through some drastic events in their lives, and we all know, drastic events can change a person's personality and outlook on life. I think both Ranma and Ryoko show changes that will make sense now and more later as I continue the story, but I think they still show the same general characteristics as their cannon counterparts, if a bit more mature (hopefully). Feel free to disagree, the more feedback the better.  
  
As stated before, I'm a sporadic writer at best, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter done, but hopefully not 6 months like this last time snicker  
  
Bain 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
How Did We Get Here?  
  
By Bain  
  
bain0001@hotmail.com  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Years of living without his father waking him up at the crack of dawn by any means necessary forced Ranma to become a light sleeper. He could tell it was early morning, just about 6 AM, his usual wake up time. Ranma would automatically wake at this hour. However, this morning, something was different.  
  
As usual, Ranma suffered from the usual condition most adult men suffer from, when waking up. That was not unusual for the young martial artist. But the warm snugness he felt around his morning arousal was noticeably different, however. Also was the fact his arms seemed to be wrapped around a very warm and comfortable body.  
  
Fighting down panic, Ranma slowly opened is eyes and saw a shock of cyan hair. 'That's right, I slept with Ryoko-chan... I SLEPT WITH RYOKO!!! Wait, we only slept, she was having a nightmare. Ya, that's it.' Ranma slowly calmed down, noticing that they were spooning, and tried to will his erection down. It wouldn't however.  
  
It had been 4 years since he last had a bed partner, Ranma was not use to the experience anymore. He did not want to admit how much he missed having a warm body next to him when he slumbered and woke up.  
  
'Oh Kami-sama, how do I get in these situations?' Ranma thought frantically. 'I gotta get up before she notices... IT! I don't need her to think I'm some hentai trying to take advantage of her.'  
  
Gently, Ranma tried to extract himself from Ryoko's body. Ryoko apparently decided she was comfortable and held onto Ranma's arms in her hands, crushing them to her bosom, and to Ranma's dismay, slowly started to grind her backside into Ranma's groin when he tried to pull it away. Ryoko murmured happily through Ranma exquisite torture, frying his brain making him unable to reason.  
  
Eventually, Ryoko ceased her gyrations, sleeping peacefully. As Ranma's mind began to function once more, he started to slowly extract his limbs from Ryoko's warm, comforting, embrace. A large part of him regretted pulling away from her, but pigtailed man knew that he didn't want Ryoko to wake up and see him in his current condition, embarrassing both of them. Finally free, he sighed a breath of relief.  
  
Having an apartment on the top floor of his building was convenient for Ranma. He put on a pair of shorts, took off his tank top, walked to his balcony and then flipped up to the roof. Here, Ranma did is morning workout, as he did every morning for an hour. This morning, Ranma worked harder, to help fight of this mornings arousal which eventually it did.   
  
As usually, Ranma lost himself in his forms and didn't notice a lithe form rising through the roof. Ryoko sat and watched as the pigtailed martial artist worked through a complex kata. She seemed almost mesmerized by Ranma's sleek form as it weaved and glided through the kata, making it look more like dancing than a deadly fighting form.   
  
A pink hue spread across Ryoko's face as she watched Ranma's workout. Slowly, she sank back down through the roof before Ranma would notice she was even there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Ranma walked in from his balcony after his workout, he noticed the aroma of a fresh pot of java waffing through the air. He also heard the shower running and noticed his bed was empty. 'How nice of Ryoko to put on a pot of coffee.'  
  
He was about to get a cup of coffee when there was a knock on his door. 'Who would be knocking on my door at this hour in the morning?'  
  
He went and opened the door. In front of him were two green haired women with very big smiles on their pretty faces. Immediately he could tell they were twins and dressed the same way.  
  
"Nihau Saotome Ranma!" One said. "I am Sze Mi!"  
  
"And I am Sze Yu!" said the other.  
  
'Oh great, twins this time,' Ranma thought bitterly to himself. "Hello, welcome to my home. Please come in." As much as he didn't want to, he let them in. He was now an Amazon ally so he couldn't refuse them entrance to his home, which he knew the amazons abused shamelessly in their pursuit of him. "What brings you to the lands of the rising sun?"  
  
One of them responded, he couldn't tell which one. "Matriarch Cologne suggested we come here as part of a foreign student exchange program."  
  
"We are in medical school!" the other one piped in.  
  
"... I see. Well I'm about to have breakfast, would you like to join..."  
  
"Ranma, do you have a spare toothbrush?" Out of the bathroom in only a towel wrap around her came Ryoko. She stopped as soon as she saw Ranma was not the only one in the room.  
  
The two Chinese Amazons stared at the ex-space pirate standing there with water dripping off her body. They started talking furiously to each other in their native language, as they kept glancing over to her. Ranma couldn't tell if this was good or bad, but he wasn't' getting a very good feeling about this. The last thing he wanted was more trouble.  
  
"Hai, Ryoko-chan, in the medicine cabinet. I always keep a few spare for unexpected guests like Ryoga." Ranma slowly started to sip the coffee he just poured. 'This can't be happening,' he thought to himself, hoping things wouldn't get worse.  
  
"Honored Ally, is this your mate?" asked one of the twins.  
  
Ranma spit out all the coffee he had in his mouth.  
  
With an evil gleam in her eye, Ryoko walked over to Ranma, still in only a towel to show any mediocrum of modesty, and draped herself all over the startled young man. "Why of course I'm his mate," she purred.  
  
Ranma was too shocked at what was going on to stop any of it.  
  
"In fact he just proposed to me last night! Isn't that right, lover?" Ryoko cooed into Ranma's ear and licked it. His eyes grew wide and he stood stock still, as his body refused to respond.  
  
The green haired duo started furiously conversing in mandarin with each other.  
  
"What are they saying?" whispered Ryoko into Ranma's ear as she rubbed herself all over Ranma.  
  
Fortunately for Ranma, his brain started working. "I don't know," he whispered back to her. "What the heck are you doing, Ryoko-chan? Why did you say you're my mate?" Ranma tried with all his might not to stare down at Ryoko's cleavage as the towel surrounding her body started to slip down. He tried to ignore the feel of Ryoko's sensual body rubbing against his own.  
  
"These are Chinese Amazons, ne? I figured they couldn't try to get you in the sack if they thought you were off the market. That's the reason they keep trying right?" Ranma could see that Ryoko was trying very hard not to laugh.  
  
"Aya, we apologize, but we forgot we have an appointment with the university councilor early this morning. We will not be able to stay for breakfast." Both girls bowed to the psudo-couple.  
  
"Aww, you should really stay and try Ranma-chan's cooking, it's simply scrumptious!" Ryoko gushed.  
  
"Thanks for stopping by, Sze Mi, Sze Yu. Good luck in school." Ranma barely choked out the last part as Ryoko started nibbling on his ear.  
  
"Bai Bai!" The Chinese twins exited the small apartment as fast as they could.  
  
As the door shut, Ryoko finally let go of Ranma and started laughing, pulling her towel back up around her. "That was fun! Did you see those two? They had no idea what to do. Hah!" Ryoko suddenly got silent. Ranma finally looked over to Ryoko. "My, my Ranma, I didn't know you thought of me that way."  
  
Ranma noticed the smirk on Ryoko's face as she gazed down at his groin. Ranma looked down at his groin. He noticed how apparent his arousal was and jumped behind the bar blushing furiously.  
  
"Ha ha ha! You're so fun to tease!" The cyan haired woman continued to chuckle as she went back into the bathroom.  
  
Ranma tried to calm himself down as he made breakfast for both of them. By the time Ryoko was out of the bathroom, and fully dressed, breakfast was ready. They both sat down at the bar to consume their meal.  
  
"You know, when Cologne finds out about you from the twins, she's gonna have a cow," Ranma grumbled as he ate.  
  
"Ara, you're right. I guess she's still mad at me, ne?"  
  
"Hai, last I heard she didn't forgive you for the demons you unleashed in her restaurant," Ranma chuckled.  
  
"Stupid Shampoo," she grumbled. "She shouldn't have said that crap about me. I wasn't even a fianc‚e!"  
  
Ranma continued to chuckle. "I still remember Shampoo trying to explain to Cologne what happened. I think she still shudders to this day if your name is mentioned."  
  
Ryoko decided to change the subject. "Can you believe I actually missed a traditional Japanese breakfast? After having Juraian cuisine for the past 5 years, I'm glad I can have some home cooking," Ryoko said cheerfully as she ate.  
  
"Heh, I never thought of my food as home cooking, Ryoko-chan, but thanks for the compliment." He was pleased that Ryoko enjoyed his cooking so much. "So what are you gonna do for today?"  
  
"I have no idea. Not sure what I'm gonna do. I guess find a job eventually, but I just got back to earth, I don't wanna look for work right away."  
  
"That's fine. You can say here if you want."  
  
"Mind if I tag along with you to your dojo and watch ya teach?"  
  
"Sure I don't mind. Just don't go telling folks that I'm your fiancŽe and everything will be fine."  
  
"Aww," Ryoko pouted. "You take the fun out of everything."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko was laying down with Ranma once more on her bed wish her arms around Ryoko again, her head snuggled against her chest. For some reason, Ranma insisted that she turn into a girl before going to bed with Ryoko when she asked Ranma to hold her in bed to stave off nightmares.  
  
It has been a nice day and she had fun at Ranma's work, watching him as he instructed his students. She could tell that his student's didn't know anything about Ranma's personal life, and so she deflected most of the inquiries of the students to spare Ranma some embarrassment.  
  
'Ranma was so different now then what he use to be,' Ryoko thought to herself, basking in Ranma's warmth. 'He's so in control now, and seems to be at peace. He even takes my teasing much better and doesn't panic that often. He's not even uncomfortable with is girl form.'  
  
Ryoko thought about her own predicament and shuddered.  
  
"Are you cold Ryoko-chan?" Ranma asked drowsily.  
  
"No I'm fine." The ex-space pirate could tell Ranma was becoming more alert.  
  
"What's wrong?" the sleepy red head asked softly, stroking she hand along her arm.  
  
"Just thinking."  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
"N-no. I'm fine." She tried to banish her pains and fears in Ranma's warmth.  
  
"Ryoko-chan, please, it hurts me knowing something is wrong and I can't help you with it."  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm so weak." Ryoko's voice was barely a whisper. "You don't have to sleep with me if you don't want to Ranma, you've been so kind to me as it is. I don't want to be a burden."  
  
"It's okay, I don't mind," the red head said softly. "Just remember I'm here for you."  
  
"I will."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You know, I've never held a job before."  
  
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Really? Five thousand years and not one job?"  
  
Ryoko sipped her morning coffee. "Ahh. Nah, I never got an opportunity, unless you consider being a space pirate a job. I didn't get much choice in that."  
  
Ranma finished his breakfast. "You got something in mind on what ya wanna do?"  
  
"I got no idea. Any suggestions?"  
  
"I'm not sure. What do you like to do?"  
  
"Hmm. I like fighting, watching TV, teasing you, sex, flying..." She said wistfully. "That's about it."  
  
Ryoko noticed Ranma was blushing. "What?"  
  
"N-nothing." Ranma cleaned up the breakfast dishes. "Well you could become a prize fighter if ya wanted. I thought of doing that as well, but I enjoy teaching a lot."  
  
"Nah, I don't wanna fight for money. And I really don't want any notoriety."  
  
"Well, anything else you can think you like to do?"  
  
Ryoko fidgeted a bit. "Well, promise you won't laugh."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"I've always wanted to have a family," she said softly looking down.  
  
"Really? That's great! I never knew that."  
  
"Of course I can't even have children."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Ryoko-chan" Ranma said softly. He moved over to her and held her in his arms. "Well you can always ask Washu. Don't you think she can do anything to help?"  
  
"No, I won't ever talk to her again."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Does it have something to do with why you left Jurai?"  
  
Ryoko just sat there in silence. "You should get ready for work. I need to go find a job as well," Ryoko finally said. She got up and headed to the bathroom.  
  
'What the heck just happened?' Ranma thought to himself. He then proceeded to follow Ryoko's advice.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma entered his apartment. He noticed that Ryoko wasn't home. 'I wonder where she is?' He took off his shoes and left them at the door.  
  
It has been a two weeks since the impetuous woman moved in with him. The young martial artist really enjoyed having her live with him.   
  
Ryoko finally felt confident enough to sleep by herself after the first week. He had mixed feelings about that. He was relieved that she was having nightmares less and was getting more settled. However he knew he could get use to waking up every morning with someone in his arms, even if he had to be a girl to hide his arousal.  
  
Ranma was in the shower, enjoying the spray of warm water when the bathroom door opened to let in an excited Ryoko.  
  
"I did it!" she gushed enthusiastically. "I got a job!" She noticed that Ranma was standing in the shower with his eyes wide open, standing still. The transparent shower curtain did little to protect Ranma's modesty. "Aren't you happy for me?"  
  
She noticed that Ranma was not responding. "Ranma?"  
  
"H-Hai. Happy for you." Ranma slowly tried to cover his privates from view. "Umm, Ryoko-chan, do you mind if I finish showering?"  
  
"Of course not I don't mind," the ex-pirate said cheerfully. She sat down on the sink top.  
  
Ranma just stared at her.  
  
"Oh you want me to leave so you can finish?" she asked innocently.  
  
"H-hai." Ranma didn't think he could blush any more than he already was.  
  
Ryoko giggled. "Okay hon, I'll wait for ya on the couch." With a wink she left the bathroom and closed the door.  
  
As he finished his shower, Ranma was trying to figure out what disturbed him more, whether it was embarrassment that Ryoko saw him naked or his arousal because Ryoko saw him naked.  
  
In the two weeks that Ryoko had been with Ranma, it seemed that he had been in a constant state of arousal when near Ryoko. With her full body hugs and small kisses here and there, Ranma was getting very frustrated lately. Not sleeping with her in the same bed was a small reprieve.  
  
Ranma came out of the bathroom dressed, a cheerful Ryoko floated over to him handing a glass of champagne to him. "Cheers!"  
  
They touched glasses and Ryoko drank hers down while Ranma took a small sip. "Ryoko, where did the champagne come from? I know I don't have any in the apartment."  
  
"I bought some on the way home to celebrate!" Ryoko said happily, pouring herself another glass. "Come sit on the couch with me Ranma."  
  
There was light jazz music playing on his stereo and he noticed that the lights were off but Ryoko had lit candles around the room. As soon as Ranma sat down, Ryoko snuggled up to him.  
  
"So what kind of job did you get?"  
  
"There is a bar called the Pink Pineapple near here and they needed a bouncer during the day. I applied and got the job!"  
  
"Wow that's great!"  
  
"Ya it should be a blast! I get to hang around, listen to good music and beat up troublemakers. I just can't drink while I'm working but that's okay." Ryoko finished her glass and poured another one for herself as Ranma still nursed his first one.  
  
Ranma was having a difficult time thinking at the moment. Once again, Ryoko's nearness was causing a physical response in his body. He was trying to ignore the sensations of her body on his. "So Ryoko, I just was wondering, where did you get the money for the champagne? And you've been taking me out to dinner for the past week. How did you get the money for that stuff?"  
  
"Oh I have a bunch of gems I've been slowly converting to cash if I need it. I got enough gems to last a couple of hundred of years if I wanted."  
  
Ranma was a bit surprised. "But why are you getting a job if you have money?"  
  
"Cause I get bored." Ryoko started to draw lazy circles on Ranma's stomach as she leaned against him. "When you're not here, I get lonely. I figured this way I can keep busy. I can't keep going to work with you every day."  
  
Ryoko's hand moved down from his stomach and started rubbing Ranma's inner thigh as she turned her head and started kissing his neck softly.  
  
Ranma stiffened slightly in response to Ryoko's administrations. "R-Ryoko-chan?"  
  
"Hmm?" She turned her body on the couch and floated herself onto his lap as she continued to lap at his nick and shoulder.  
  
"W-What are y-you doing, Ryoko-chan?" Ranma couldn't move. His constant arousal of late made it difficult to fight off how nice what Ryoko was doing felt, so he could not think coherently.  
  
"Why I'm trying to seduce you, you silly man," she said seductively. The cyan haired vixen nibbled on his ear as her hands roamed around his chest. "Mmmm... I love how you smell and taste after a shower. I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you letting me stay here and taking care of me." She slowly unbuttoned his shirt. "I have an itch inside of me Ranma" she said in a husky voice. "From what I in the bathroom, I know you can scratch it for me and then some."  
  
Ryoko stopped her nibbling and looked Ranma in the eyes. He could see the desire there and something else. His body finally decided to respond by leaning forward. As his lips met hers, their lips parted and they kissed passionately. Ryoko grabbed one of Ranma's hands and pulled it under her sweater onto her breast. 'No bra, how nice,' Ranma thought hazily. He caressed her bosom as they continued to kiss and Ryoko grinded her hips into his as she straddled his legs.  
  
Suddenly the phone rang. Ranma was snapped back to his senses. 'What the hell am I doing?' Ranma broke the kiss and reached for the phone. He could not tell if he was relieved or disappointed by the interruption.  
  
"Moshi, Moshi?" Ryoko started to unbutton Ranma's pants. "Masaki-Sensei! How good it is to hear from you!" Ranma noticed Ryoko stiffen. He looked and saw her pale as a sheet. "Have I heard from Ryoko?"  
  
Ranma looked into Ryoko's eyes and was surprised to find pain and fear her golden orbs. "No, I haven't heard from her, Sensei. Hai, hai, I will if I hear from her. Arigato sensei." Ranma hung up the phone as Ryoko stood up. Ranma quickly buttoned himself back up.  
  
"Thanks for not letting him know I was here," she said in a low voice almost trembling.  
  
"What's going on?" Ranma asked softly. He knew this had something to do with Tenchi, her nightmares and why she left Jurai.  
  
"W-would you like some more champagne?" she asked as she poured herself another glass and downed it.  
  
"No thanks, Ryoko-chan." He could tell she did not want to talk about what it was that was troubling her. "Masaki-Sensei said that Tenchi has been searching all over the galaxy for you and wanted to know if I heard from you." Ryoko stayed silent as she poured the last of the champagne out of the bottle and drank it.  
  
"I just lied to Masaki-sensei. I don't like lying to anyone, especially Masaki-sensei. I owe him a lot. I figure you have some problem with Tenchi, but running away and ignoring your problems won't make them go away or get better. I had to learn that the hard way."  
  
Finally Ryoko spoke in a faltering voice. "I thought I could put it behind me. Kami, what did I do to deserve this?"  
  
"What's wrong Ryoko-chan? Did you and Tenchi have a fight?"  
  
"No, not a fight. A fight I can handle. At least then he'd be paying attention to me."  
  
"Ryoko-chan, when you left 5 years ago, I thought you and Ayeka were going to marry Tenchi. He could do that because he's a prince and can have multiple wives, right?"  
  
Ryoko nodded.  
  
"I noticed there is no ring on your finger. You never married?"  
  
Ryoko stared at a spot on the floor and shook her head.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm not good enough," she sobbed and crumbled to her knees. Ranma leaped from the couch and embraced the crying woman holding her tightly rocking her back and forth.  
  
"What do you mean Ryoko-chan? Of course you're good enough! Tenchi agreed to marry you, didn't he?"  
  
"Oh ya he agreed, at first. Then we got to Jurai. The priests wouldn't marry us. Tenchi couldn't get anyone to marry us. The Juraians were furious that he wanted to take me as a bride. They are xenophobic as it is. Tenchi is only quarter Juraian and they barely accepted him as Emperor, but me? I'm not Juraian, I'm not even human!" Ryoko burrowed her head into Ranma's chest as she sobbed in fits.  
  
"Do you know how horrid it is knowing you're not good enough to marry the one you love? Being called a mongrel not worthy of Tenchi's love? He fought for me at first. But then the people were going to revolt! It would be a civil war all because of me! Tenchi finally conceded, he didn't want war on his hands, so he married only Ayeka in a private ceremony without me."  
  
Ranma held the vulnerable woman and tried to sooth her. He gently cradled her in his arms, and moved over to the couch, settling her on his lap and continued to rock her back and forth as she continued to weep. Finally she started to calm down.  
  
"What happened next?" Ranma asked. He stroked her hair softly.  
  
"Well, Tenchi's people wanted to kick me off the planet, but Tenchi at least got me to be able to stay at the palace. I became Tenchi's royal concubine. The only way they allowed that was to make sure I could not have children. I refused! I wanted his child! If I couldn't be his wife, I wanted to be able to bear our love! But Tenchi decided it was the only way, and so without telling me, he convinced Washu to "fix" me. She didn't even ask!" Once again she cried uncontrollably.  
  
"For five years I took their abuse. The Juraians still hated me. They took perverse pleasure in reminding me that I didn't get to marry Tenchi. Whenever any of the nobles saw me, I would be called the Royal Whore, the Emperor's Fuck Toy. Oh how the mighty Ryoko became nothing than a whore. I guess it made them feel good that the destroyer of worlds ended up flat on her back for their emperor. I took it, just so I could be with Tenchi. He was all I had."  
  
"A few months back, we found out that Ayeka was pregnant. I really wanted to be happy for her, I really did. But it just reminded me what I had to give up to be with Tenchi. Tenchi was so busy running the empire as it was, I didn't get to spend much time with him as it was. I wasn't able to go to most functions he and Ayeka went to because it wasn't seemly to have me around. After Ayeka announced her pregnancy, I got even less time. But I persevered."  
  
Ryoko's tears finally slowed down. She looked into Ranma's eyes and he could see the pain and sorrow she endured. It broke his heart to see her suffering so much.   
  
"I didn't have any idea what was going to happen next. I guess it was easier for Tenchi just to ignore me than to talk to me and tell me what was going on, except when he wanted to have sex with me. Last month it was announced that Tenchi would marry Sasami when she turned 18 in a week and that their romance and been brewing for awhile. Sasami would become his 2nd wife."  
  
Ryoko's voice became calm and cold. "Tenchi wasn't even the one to tell me. I saw it on a galaxy news station. I was in shock. I didn't even get an invitation to the wedding."  
  
Ryoko sighed and laid her head down on Ranma's shoulder. "I didn't know what I was going to do. I was angry and depressed. I didn't have anyone to talk to. Before I would talk to Ayeka but she had less and less time for me. Now with her being pregnant and her sister marrying Tenchi, I couldn't talk to her. So on Tenchi and Sasami's wedding day, I left Jurai and ended up here. I don't want Tenchi to find me because I know he'll ask me to go back with him, and if I see him, I know I won't be able to say no." Ryoko said the last in barely a whisper.  
  
The cyan haired woman cried again as Ranma held her in his arms as he gently rocked her. "I'm sorry Ryoko-chan for what you have suffered. You can stay here as long as you want. I won't make you go back." They held each other for the rest of the night without saying a word.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Well here is another chapter. I hope you all like it. Thanks for all the reviews everyone. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.  
  
Now as for making Ranma Juraian... to be honest I don't like that concept. I always felt it took away from Ranma's own accomplishments, so I will not do it.  
  
This is not going to be a lemon. I know it's a bit lemonish in this chapter but that couldn't be helped.  
  
Feel free to e-mail me or contact me on Yahoo IM as Bayen001  
  
Bain 


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